


How Times Have Changed

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Prison, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 16:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13462365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	How Times Have Changed

After high school, Kiana had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do. Zero. Zilch. Nada. So instead of going to college immediately and putting herself in a mountain of debt that she would never be able to climb out of, she decided to take a year or two off and work - maybe take some online classes to see what she might want to end up doing with the rest of her life. High school had been hell. It left her with diagnosed anxiety and depression to the point where classes on a campus seemed impossible, so really what was the point of going to college when she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do anyway?

Damn, she was glad she’d made that decision. She took online classes for nearly three years before deciding what she wanted to pursue. Psychology and forensics. It was fascinating. The first week of her classes, she knew it was what she was meant to be doing. Nothing had ever held her interest so firmly. Nothing had ever made her so happy, despite the sometimes difficult topics involved. What exactly she’d end up doing, she wasn’t quite sure, but both subjects - especially psychology - appealed to her in such a way that she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

At 21, she started college, obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Forensics after four years, then came the master’s degree which she completed in two years, then a year of applying to doctoral programs, and finally, here she was now, starting the second year of her seven year doctoral program at 30 years old. How she’d made it through three degrees worth of classes with her overwhelming anxiety she would never know, but she’d done it. 

On top of her classes this year, she was taking a couple seminars taught at the FBI. In the course of her forensic psychology class in graduate school, she’d come across a number of Dr. Reid’s papers on varying subjects. He had three Ph.D.’s and he was only five years older than she was! His papers were so well done and he was so young that she wanted to get his perspective on things. He was teaching month-long seminars every few months between his work with the FBI, so she’d signed up for all of them: Public Opinion About Crime, which would cover the topic of crime in the public eye - Is someone really innocent until proven guilty if the media has already started covering a case? Juvenile Psychopathy, Psychological Autopsy, which was focused on understanding a passed individual’s mental state at the time of death in order to determine the cause of death, and finally, Body Language in Regards to Interrogation. All of them seemed fascinating, and she was a fucking masochist so why not take seminars on top of doctoral classes. Made total sense, right?

Class went fine that day, but after having a few weeks off, getting back into the swing of insanely difficult classes and pressure, pressure, pressure, meant she was tired as hell by the end of the day. But still, she had a seminar to go to, so she grabbed something quick to eat and headed over to the Bureau.

Thankfully, she was a few minutes early. “Hello, Dr. Reid,” she greeted, awkwardly lifting her hand and waving. “Looking forward to your seminars this year.”

His eyes lit up. “Are you Kiana?” He asked.

How did he know that already? He really was a super genius. “Yea, that’s me. How’d you know?”

“Well you said seminars, as in more than one, and I only have one person, you, that’s signed up for all four right now.” He walked a little closer, figuring that if they were going to talk it would probably be less rude; he didn’t want to be screaming across the room when he had two perfectly good, working legs. “I figure anyone who’s taking all four is either trying to fill a requirement or really loves to learn. Please tell me you’re the latter.”

She chuckled softly. She knew he was smart, but she hadn’t seen that many pictures of his. He was cute too. That was going to make it more difficult to concentrate. Lovely. “I am, but I also am easily overwhelmed and frustrated so go easy on me.”

“As long as you’re willing to learn, I’m willing to help,” he said. Looking at his watch, he glanced toward the door and realized other attendees were coming in. “Well, I guess I should get started.” 

He turned his back to walk up to the podium and felt the nerves kick in. He was so awkward. This was going to be a learning curve for everyone. But at least he had one familiar face in the crowd. Kiana - she’d be in all four seminars he was teaching.

During his high school and college years, his mother had always told him to find one person in the crowd that you were comfortable with and focus on them. With his love of facts of all kinds, once he got talking she was convinced he’d loosen up, and he almost always did, so he guess Kiana’s face would be the one he’d focus on.

Spencer’s mind had always been the kind to keep multiple tabs open at all times, like a computer, so as he started to speak, telling the class what exactly he was going to be covering, he took in the details of her face. She was very short, at least compared to him. He had to have a foot on her. Beautiful brown hair and brown eyes so deep in color one could easily pick them out in a crowd. She also had freckles along her cheekbones that highlighted her bone structure. In an instant, he turned that particular tab of his brain off. She was very pretty, and could easily be distracting.

Meanwhile, at her desk, Kiana noticed that Dr. Reid seemed to be looking at her most. His voice was also shaky, which made her think that he was nervous speaking in front of people. She understood that more than most. Hopefully, he’d fall into a comfortable rhythm. 

As she looked around the room, she noticed many of her other classmates in various states of interest. Some were young college kids, undoubtedly here to fill a requirement. They really weren’t paying attention. Others were older people, probably going back to school for the hell of it. And others still were desperately tired after a long day at work. And then there was her. She could listen to the sound of his voice all day.

Just three weeks into the start of classes, she felt overwhelmed. It was annoying because she liked the seminars with Dr. Reid even more than her classes, but she was having trouble staying awake recently because of the class grind. 

In a week, this seminar would be over, so she could focus on classes a bit more, but she was going to miss listening to Spencer’s voice. After a tough day in class, his voice soothed her. “Tired?” Dr. Reid asked as she walked in the room. Again, she was the first one there.

When she looked up, she could see her exhaustion mirrored in his eyes. “Yea. Classes are kicking my ass and I’m getting overwhelmed. You too?”

“Tired? Yup.”

That was all he said, but she could tell he wanted to say more. His tired wasn’t the same as hers and although she didn’t know what was going on she wouldn’t trade her exhaustion for his for any amount of money. “Well, I’m here if you want to talk,” she said without thinking. She wasn’t sure why she said it - only that she felt the need to.

“Thank you, Kiana,” he replied with a tired smile.

“No problem, Dr. Reid.”

“Spencer. Please call me Spencer.”

“No problem, Spencer.”

After the first seminar ended, she was able to focus solely on classes. Still overwhelming, but manageable. The only problem was she missed hearing Spencer’s voice; it was almost meditative at the end of the day and no other method of meditation had come close to making her feel the same sense of calm. 

The seminars were a double-edged sword. Kiana enjoyed them and Spencer’s presence made her more comfortable with the hectic day-to-day, but it also made her brain put more pressure on herself. 

The second seminar was juvenile psychopathy. “Hello again, Spencer,” she said as she walked in to the second day of the lecture. Despite her tiredness and the pressure for perfection, she found herself smiling when she saw him. He’s shaved recently, looking younger for the experience. His hair was as fluffy as ever. She’d thought about running her hands through it more often than she liked to admit. 

“Kiana, hi. How are your classes going?” He seemed genuinely interested. That was another thing she liked. Questions weren’t just questions with him, they were new learning opportunities. 

“Kicking my ass, but otherwise, they’re good. This semester I’m in Behavioral and Neural Bases of Visual Perception which is interesting but difficult for me, and Social Cognition, which I’m very into, so that one isn’t as hard.” 

It felt nice to be able to talk to someone so freely. She had friends in the area, but little time to get together with them, and her family was back home. All of a sudden, she found herself a little teary. “You okay?” He asked, his eyebrows scrunched in concern.

“Sorry, it’s silly.”

“If you’re sad, nothing is silly. It’s how you feel.”

With a smile, she found herself saying what she felt. “I’m very busy lately so seeing my family has been difficult. Plus, I miss my bunnies and my dogs and my cat.”

“You have a menagerie back home,” he chuckled.

“That I do.”

Students started to file in taking seats on either side of where they were standing. “Well, I should probably get to teaching, but Kiana, if the Visual Perception class is giving you a hard time, let me know. I’d be happy to help in any way I can.”

“Thank you, Spencer.” She bite her lip as she went to her usual seat. Well that was nice of him.

All through the second seminar and into the third, Spencer helped her with classes. First it was getting through the Visual Perception class and now it was a new semester, which meant a new, confusing class to kick her ass. This time around it was Selected Topics in Neuroscience & Psychophysiology. 

Somehow, the two found themselves meeting at coffee shops and libraries in the area. Spencer would walk her through what she was having difficulty with and once she grasped the concepts they’d end up talking about anything and everything. 

She learned his mother had paranoid schizophrenia and he’d been bullied relentlessly as a child, which she understood on a very real level. “I’m so tired lately,” she said one night after they’d finished up what had become her tutoring sessions. 

“Doctoral programs will do that to you,” Spencer laughed. “Is me tutoring you helping at all?”

“Absolutely,” she laughed, her freckles looking especially beautiful when she did so. She leaned over and touched his arm. “Without you, I’d be dead. Or more likely quitting because the stress would drive me insane.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help.” 

She found herself thinking that his smile was disarming. The past 8 or 9 months had been hard on her, but they seemed to have been harder on him. He always looked exhausted. “A-are you okay, Spencer? I’ve been noticing ever since the first seminar that you seem especially tired. Even more so than I do.”

His eyes couldn’t move from the ground. “I went through something last year. Something I wasn’t sure I was going to live through honestly. And I still have nightmares.”

That wasn’t what she expected. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting him to say, but it wasn’t that. “Well, if you need someone to talk to, I’ve been told I’m a good sounding board.”

Spencer hesitated slightly. “I-I was in prison for three months.”

“Really?” How was he still working for the Bureau if that was the case?

Chuckling hollowly, he gave her a quick and not-to-detailed description of what went down. He’d gone over the border to Mexico to get a supplement for his mother’s Alzheimer’s. Because he wasn’t supposed to be there without notifying the Bureau, that left him vulnerable to a particularly vengeful unsub who framed him for murder.

“I was in there for three months for something I didn’t do, and some nights I still dream I’m behind those walls. Trapped. And I still feel guilty.” 

Kiana reached across the expanse between them and rested her hand on his. “It’s harder to work through what’s in your head I’m sure, but you’re not there anymore. And if it’s any comfort, when it comes to my family, I think I would’ve done the same thing.”

Spencer’s hand grasped hers softly. “Thank you, Kiana. Ummm…” he started, stumbling over his words before composing himself. “Would you maybe want to grab a coffee with me sometime?” He looked down at the coffee in his hand and laughed. “I mean not as part of a tutoring session. Like…a date?”

“I’d love that,” she said, blushing furiously. “This doesn’t interfere with your seminars, does it? Like us seeing each other would be okay?”

He nodded immediately. “I might have already brought it up with my Unit Chief that I was thinking of asking you out.”

They hadn’t even gone out on a date yet, but she felt the incredible urge to kiss his cheek. So she did. “That’s amazing. I’m looking forward to it.”

This time, for the break between the third and fourth (and final) seminar of the year, Spencer and Kiana still got to see each other. Most of their dates just involved talking wherever they happened to be, but occasionally they’d go for a walk or see a movie. It was all very simple and comfortable, exactly what they both needed.

They spent nearly every spare minute they had together. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as much as they both wanted, but they made it work. 

When the last seminar finally approached, they were already sleeping in each other’s apartments. “Do we have to go?” Kiana asked sleepily. They’d fallen asleep on his couch after watching a movie. She didn’t have class and he only had the seminar so it seemed like the perfect day to sit around and do nothing. “I just want to snuggle with you for the rest of the night.”

“Me too,” he said, kissing her neck softly, the brown tendrils of his hair tickling her skin. “But this is my job.”

“Okay,” she whined playfully. “Then I’ll get up and go with you. Be a good girlfriend.”

“Mmmm..” He mumbled as he kissed her forehead. “Girlfriend. I like the sound of that.”

She did too. Maybe it was because of how deeply she already cared for him, but his eyes seemed more awake and full of life. “You’ve been sleeping better lately?”

Nodding, Spencer nuzzled his nose into her neck. “Yea. I’m still having nightmares, but having you here helps.”

“I’m glad I can help,” she replied. “I hope you know that even if I’m not here at your side, you can call me if you wake up from a nightmare. If you need me, I don’t care what time it is, call me.”

“I will.”

Kiana got on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. They smiled into each other for a moment, lost in the newness of their relationship. “We really should go,” Spencer said, glancing at his watch. “We’ve been standing here for 15 minutes and now we only have 20 to get to class on time.”

“Okay, okay,” she chuckled, “give me the rundown on this lecture.”

Spencer grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs. “You want me to tell you what the lecture is about when we’re going right to class now?” He laughed.

“Yessss,” she hissed happily. “I just like listening to your voice.”

“Really?” 

She’d never told him that before.

Blushing, she nodded. “Yea, it’s really soothing. I could listen to you read all day.” 

“Maybe one night I can read from some of my favorite books after dinner?” He loved reading and the idea of reading to her sounded really intimate.

It was too bad Spencer was driving because Kiana just wanted to lean over and kiss him. “That sounds amazing. Perfect date.”

They pulled up to the Bureau with five minutes to spare. Spencer helped her out of the car like the gentleman he was and grabbed her hand. “C-Can we hold hands going into class? Like, is it taboo that the student and teacher are seeing each other?”

“It’s not like we’re children, or that this seminar is graded. It’s just for the fun of learning.”

Kiana bit her lip and giggled. The way he talked about learning truly was like an old man who’d been teaching the exact same subject for 40 years - like he’d never ever lose a passion for what he spoke of. “Okay, good. Because I’d like to keep holding your hand.”

As they entered the room, Spencer let go of Kiana’s hand and gave her a kiss on the forehead before heading toward the podium. She took her seat and watched as he began the lecture. It had been nearly a year since the first time she’d seen him, focused in on his voice, and yet so much had changed - for her and for him.

No longer did he have to suffer alone, fearing the four walls that took away three months of his life. No longer did she have to struggle alone with the thoughts that plagued her mind. They had each other.

Zoning out to the sound of his voice, Kiana smiled to herself. If she could retain what he said right now, she’d ask him about it later. It was just nice to look at him and think ‘he’s mine.’


End file.
